A former Department of Homeland Security official has claimed that “animal control officers” get more training than Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits.
Proper training of ICE has been a concern amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, especially after two recent Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents. In the shootings, which happened over the span of a week, Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was killed, and a man, who DHS identified as a “criminal” Venezuelan immigrant, was injured.
Former D.C. Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence Donell Harvin accused ICE of not practicing proper police safety.
“If you take the current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, at her word, the ICE agent that shot Ms. Good was following his training, his tactics and policies,” the ex-DHS official told MS NOW’s Ana Cabrera Thursday.
“If that's the case and you take her at her word, then we have a big problem, because what we have is ICE agents that are not practicing proper police or law enforcement officer safety and survivability,” Harvin continued.
Noem said that ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Good, was “experienced.”
“We have ICE agents that are rolling off the assembly line, so to speak, with far, far less training” than the agent involved in Good’s death, Harvin said.
Harvin said news reporting found that ICE recruits receive “47 days of training.”
New ICE officers used to reportedly receive about five months of training, but three unnamed officials told The Atlantic last August that it was shortened to 47 days because Trump is the 47th president.
The publication did note that the shortened training was partly due to the elimination of Spanish courses. A senior DHS official told The Washington Examiner that The Atlantic’s reporting was “false.”
“I will tell you that in many states, you can become an animal control officer, but you need twice as much training,” Harvin said. “So think about that. Your local dog catcher will need more training to carry a firearm and execute warrants and arrest people than an ICE agent. And that's what's concerning.”
DHS told The Independent that all ICE candidates go through months of training and are taught how to protect themselves and others from potentially violent situations, how to de-escalate situations and other skills.
Standard training for recruits involved in enforcement and removal operations is eight weeks, according to DHS.
“ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Independent.
“Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training. The agency’s current use of force policy is the same as it was in 2023 under President Biden’s administration,” McLaughlin continued.
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